This invention relates to a system for storing and dispensing articles, and more particularly relates to an apparatus and method for storing a plurality of articles each of a different characteristic or nature and for selectively retrieving and dispensing from the plurality of stored articles any particular desired article.
This invention is useful in a variety of applications where articles having unique characteristics are to be stored and it is desired to selectively retrieve or dispense any particular one of the stored articles. One application in which the present invention is particularly useful is in the storage and automated retrieval, without the necessity of clerk involvement, of distinctive articles of personal property. In instances where articles such as photographic film, watches, shoes, jewelry, etc. are left for processing or repair, the present invention may be used to provide for self-service retrieval of the articles by the owners after the processing or repair has been completed. Another particularly useful application of the apparatus and method of the present invention is in the storage and selective retrieval of articles similar in appearance but containing unique data or information, such as reels or cassettes of microfilm, magnetic tape, etc.
A characteristic feature of the apparatus and method of this invention is that each of the articles stored therein is distinctly different from all other articles. In this respect, the invention is different from the usual types of vending machines which are designed for storing one or more groups of articles, with all of the articles in each group being substantially identical.
While machines have been proposed heretofore for carrying out somewhat similar functions as those addressed by the present invention, the machines of the prior art have certain disadvantages or limitations which significantly limit their usefulness. For example, Gehrky U.S. Pat. No. 2,997,133 and Willis U.S. Pat. No. 3,840,103 disclose machines adapted for the self-service vending of garments, such as dry cleaning. The garments are placed on respective individual lugs of a conveyor chain, with each lug being identified by a particular identification number. When the identification number is entered by the customer, the conveyor chain is moved to bring the desired garment into position for retrieval. In these machines, identification numbers are assigned to the individual lugs upon which the garments are placed. Thus, only a limited number of identification numbers are available. This presents a security problem since it becomes necessary to reuse the identification numbers, and someone having knowledge of the identification numbers from prior use of the machine could gain unauthorized access to the garments stored in the machine.
A significant feature of the present invention is that it is capable of using an essentially unlimited number of identification numbers or codes so as to avoid the necessity of reusing the numbers and the security problems presented by such reuse.
A further limitation of the prior machines is that their accuracy in retrieving the correct article depends entirely upon the accuracy of the individual who loads the articles into the machine in placing each article in the correct location corresponding to the identification code for that article. In accordance with the present invention, the identification code for an article is associated directly with the article itself rather than with the particular location where the article is stored, and the system operates to insure that the particular location in which the article is placed for storage is correlated correctly with the identification code of that article. This feature of the invention is particularly advantageous in the latter field of application mentioned above, i.e. the storage and retrieval of cartridges or reels containing unique information or data, where in many instances more than one article may be removed from the machine at one time. The present invention provides for insuring that the correct identification number and location correlation is obtained when the articles are returned to the machine, even though the article may be returned to a different location from that where it was originally obtained.
A further limitation of the prior machines noted above is that the correlation between the identification codes and the corresponding storage locations is preestablished and essentially fixed. In the present invention, on the other hand, the identification code and location correlation is capable of dynamically changing during use of the machine. This capability maximizes use of all available storage locations, since it avoids tying up the use of locations due to the identification code being preassigned. In this regard, it will be understood that in the vending machines of the type described in the aforementioned prior patents, it is necessary that the identification codes either be permanently assigned to a customer, or pre-assigned at the time the garments are deposited for cleaning. In either event, the location corresponding to that identification code is tied up for the entire time the garment is in the possession of the cleaning establishment.